Pennsylvania budget crisis: 100 reasons it has lasted 100 days

View full sizeDan Gleiter, The Patriot-NewsThe Pennsylvania State Capitol building seen from State Street in Harrisburg. Pennsylvania has reached an embarrassing milestone. One hundred days into the fiscal year, the governor and lawmakers still haven’t enacted a budget. And with so many promises unfulfilled, no one can say it’s over until a deal is signed into law.

There are legitimate challenges that didn’t exist in past years, but the people at the top bear the brunt of the blame. Here are 100 reasons — most of them serious — for where we are

View full sizeThe Patriot-News/fileGov. Ed Rendell.1. Gov. Ed Rendell. It’s not all his fault, but he’s the chief executive. For too long, Rendell pushed his agenda without enough room for compromise. Even a top lawmaker in Rendell’s own Democratic party, Senate Majority Leader Robert Mellow, says Rendell should have been more engaged.

2. The General Assembly. Whether one liked or loathed Rendell’s spending plan, the governor introduced it in February. The Legislature did what it always does, messing around until summer before getting remotely serious.

3. Pay Raise Paranoia. Before the 2005 pay raise debacle, lawmakers didn’t seem to care what voters thought. Now, they seem scared to do anything that might be unpopular.

4-5. House Democratic Leaders. In their first budget season, Keith McCall and Todd Eachus didn’t show the strength to pass anything close to Rendell’s agenda.

6-10. Party of Five. Democrats hold a mere five-vote advantage (104-99) in the state House. A few defectors can sink a deal, and that’s made a compromise more elusive.

11-12. Senate Republican Leaders. Joe Scarnati and Dominic Pileggi deserve credit for taking part in a short-lived deal. But they lose points for telling House Democrats that any changes at all would sink the deal.

13-18. The Gang of Six. A group of six lawmakers charged with ending this impasse held public meetings and bickered like schoolkids, but without the maturity and cool clothes.

19. Gamut Theatre. If the performers of Popcorn Hat Players would realize it’s their job to make up for the budget shortfall, we’d all be better off. Taxing 3-year-olds to see a performance of “Little Red Riding Hood”? Come on, that’s budget gold.

20. Drill, Baby, Drill. It’s been tree-huggers vs. energy vultures in the battle over whether to lease more state forest land to natural gas drilling. It’s an important debate — too important to have behind closed doors in August, with the budget already weeks late.

21. Testosterone. A female legislator said, bluntly, that the budget debate has been all about which legislator has the biggest (ahem) “member.” There are no women in senior legislative leadership posts.

22. House Republicans. They were the only group not taking part in what seemed like a deal several weeks ago. They aren’t elected to sit on the sidelines. Republican Sen. Joe Scarnati said it well: Lawmakers can have principles, but they have to do more than simply say no.

24. Consumers. Fewer people are buying houses and cars. People are picking store brands at the grocery store and shopping less at the mall. As a result, the state has less money to spend.

25. Big Tobacco. This group has always had plenty of muscle. Lobbyists persuaded many lawmakers that Pennsylvania should remain the only state without a tax on cigars.

View full size Dan Gleiter, The Patriot-News Several hundred unionized state workers filled the Capitol steps in Harrisburg this summer to pressure all sides to agree on a state budget. They were protesting a Rendell administration policy that required them to work without pay as the state budget remains in limbo. Department of State employees Tina Lynch of Harrisburg, third from right, Kelly Monaghan of Elizabethtown and Robert Papapietro of Penbrook join the take part in the rally.26. State Workers Got Paid. Not that we want anyone to go without a paycheck, but once workers started getting paid again, the urgency left the process.

27. Fight at the Museum. Plans to add the sales tax to museum tickets came on top of a drop in attendance.

28. The 2010 Election. Everyone is so concerned about who controls the Legislature next year, they aren’t doing much legislating this year.

29. Hollywood. There was debate over how much to cut tax credits that spur movie productions. Rendell loves the program, Midstate lawmakers point out that most flicks are made in Philly and Pittsburgh.

31. This Bud’s for You. We have the third-lowest beer tax in the country. Still, lobbyists convinced everyone that a few cents would scare people away from their favorite watering hole.

32. Protesters. How did we expect anyone to get work done with all those people on the Capitol steps yelling about getting a budget passed? 33. It’s Spelled E-I-T-C. Defenders of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit include groups that usually don’t usually come together: business, public and private schools and arts groups. It looks like there may be less money for this program, and that’s had some lawmakers furious.

34-35. George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. It always comes back to one of them anyway. Take your pick.

View full sizeCHRISTINE BAKER, The Patriot-NewsA towering gas-drilling rig stood on the Susquehanna County property of Jim Grimsley, 67, for much of September. The rig was a "triple rig," according to Cabot Oil and Gas spoksman Ken Komorowski, meaning it could push three consecutive 42-foot lengths of drilling pipe into the well at once. The bore of the well goes straight down for thousands of feet and then extends horizontally for thousands of feet. Cabot Oil and Gas, based in Houston, is one of 45 companies that has drilled natural gas wells in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania in the last four years. 36. Marcellus Shale. It might be one of the world’s largest reservoirs of natural gas. Like the argument over leasing state forest land for drilling, it’s important to debate whether we should tax energy companies who stand to profit. But couldn’t hearings have taken place earlier?

37. Table Games. Five years after passing the slots law, lawmakers agreed to put games like blackjack and poker in casinos. Analysts say this could create 10,000 real jobs. But lawmakers are stuck on how much to tax table games. The debate is legitimate; the solution is overdue.

38. Fewer Jobs. People without jobs aren’t spending as much, and companies are paying less in payroll taxes. As a result, the state has less money to spend.

49. Secret Meetings. The closed-door negotiating process was so secret that rank-and-file were blind-sided by some of the unpopular details. They heard from constituents and they rebelled.

50. PCN. We need lawmakers to stop worrying about how they look and sound and worry more about getting the job done.

51. Unions. The governor implored unions to accept wage concessions. Union leaders said no. Unions also refused rolling furloughs. Had union leaders agreed, perhaps fewer jobs would have been lost and more time spent on other issues.

54. Rank and File Legislators. Yes, the leaders kept you in the dark, but there comes a time where you don’t just sit back and take it.

55. Bonusgate. Was the threat of a second round of indictments a little too distracting?

View full sizeThe Patriot-NewsActor Peter Facinelli, who plays Dr. Cullen in the "Twilight" trilogy, laughs with Ronks resident Stefanie Engel at the Harrisburg Mall on Sunday in Harrisburg.56. Harrisburg Mall. Maybe too many legislators were waiting in line for a photo-op with “Twilight” star Peter Facinelli.

57. No Term Limits. Spend more time doing what’s right, less time doing what’s going to get you re-elected.

58. Legislative Pay. Rep. Ron Marsico has it right. Legislators should not get paid until they get the job done. 59. Wall Street. The financial industry’s reckless behavior has hurt Main Street and is playing a big part in the state’s crisis.

60. Washington. Washington’s lax oversight of Wall Street helped produce this economic collapse. Of course, this didn’t stop all the other states from getting their budgets finalized.

61. Gene Stilp. Come on, Gene. Let’s break out the pink pig and get this party started.

62. Stimulus Package. The flood of federal cash prompted endless clashes over how to use it.

67. Rainy Days. After months of disagreement, it appears there is support for using the state’s Rainy Day Fund to deal with the budget crisis. In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s pouring.

68. Uncivil Wars. In a summer highlighted by Congressman Joe Wilson shouting “Liar!” at the president and Kanye West storming Taylor Swift’s speech at the MTV awards, state lawmakers fit in perfectly. No cursing, but plenty of lines in the sand.

69. Unsportsmanlike Conduct. The arts community was furious because their events were earmarked to be taxed while the gold mine of professional sporting events went untouched.

70. What Leadership? For months, Democrats couldn’t deliver enough votes in the House; Republicans couldn’t deliver any votes in the House.

72. Carpe Per Diems. The more days they spent in Harrisburg, the more they got paid for showing up to work. Priceless.

73. The Pittsburgh Pirates. The Steelers, Penguins, Phillies and Hershey Bears all won championships and had home playoff games to give the economy a boost. Meanwhile, the Pirates finished their 17th straight losing season.

View full sizeJOE HERMITT, The Patriot-NewsPennsylvania's World Champion professional sports teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Phillies, displayed their respective championship trophies in the Capitol East Wing Rotunda in July. Thousands of fans waited in line for the opportunity to see and photograph the hardware.74. College Daze. The governor proposed cuts to Penn State and other universities. But state lawmakers need a genuine higher ed policy that focuses on keeping college affordable.

75. Personal Income Tax Hike. So much time was wasted on this when it was obvious that lawmakers — and taxpayers — weren’t going to accept it.

76. All Bets Are Off in Philly. Central Pa. blames the City of Brotherly Shove for everything else, but this one’s legit. Five years after the slots law was enacted, and neither of the two casinos approved for the state’s biggest city has been built. What a loss of tax revenue.

77. Madonna. Pileggi called the proposed arts event tax a “Madonna tax” because he said it would mainly hit big concerts — but they refused to exempt the little guys.

78. Keystone Exams. The State Board of Education says too many kids are getting high school diplomas without getting an education. The board wants to require students to pass an exit exam before they get a degree. Many lawmakers and educators don’t want to see money in the budget for the exams.

79. Gus the Groundhog. After years of strong growth, lottery sales barely increased in the past fiscal year. The state counts on that money to finance programs that aid seniors.

80. Barack Obama. Obama’s big win had Republicans searching for ways to redefine themselves. State House Republicans seemingly decided to do that by fighting any and all tax increases — even relatively popular ones like a cigar tax.

81. Green Spaces. Green groups have been outraged over cuts to state environmental programs, and they got the attention of House Democrats.

82. Rendell’s Weight Loss.We’re all glad the gov is thinner, but budgets were done earlier when he was heavier. Don’t blow the diet, governor, but maybe it’s time you treat yourself to dessert in order to seal the deal.

83. The Media. If we had done a better job of explaining what’s at stake, you might have been pounding on your legislators’ doors.

84. Sweet Tooths. Another powerful lobby keeps the sales tax at bay. Some might call candy a personal necessity, but many states refuse to call it a tax-exempt “food” along with beef, bread and baby formula.

85. Free Parking. If legislators didn’t have those cushy spots around the Capitol and had to search for a space like the rest of us, this budget would have been passed in April.

86. JoePa.Iowa? Again? You gotta be kidding me. That’s gotta be part of the problem.

87-88. Philly and Pittsburgh. You have most of the people, but is the budget issue really on your radar? Eventually, this budget fiasco will hit your schools, your Ys and your pocketbooks.

89-92. Fumo. Jubelirer. Brightbill. Veon. The old guard of legislative leaders couldn’t keep the loyalty of voters, but they could always deliver a deal when it was crunch time. Where are you when we need you?

93. Bill Cosby. The Cos came to Harrisburg, touting a report showing gains made by Pennsylvania students as a reason to invest in schools. Some Republicans were irritated that the TV icon waded into the debate. Maybe Rendell should’ve brought Larry The Cable Guy?

94. School Kids. You want books? Computers? What’s next, protractors? Rightly or wrongly, this budget would have been done a long time ago if Rendell and Democrats hadn’t pushed for more education funding.

95. Video Lottery. Legislators spent so much time debating the good and bad of gambling in every bar, they didn’t get around to table games for months.

96. House Democrats. Instead of urging your leaders to go back to the table, you simply tore up a deal and passed your own, infuriating Senate Republicans. That’s not dialogue.

99. Capitol Police. Couldn’t you just have locked them in their chambers until the budget’s done?

100. You. We deserve better, but we have shown far less outrage today than we did during the 2005 pay raise mess. The pay raise led to a housecleaning in the Capitol, with 1 in 5 lawmakers either retiring or ousted by voters. The primary is six months away.

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